Monday, September 13, 2010

The Begining Chapter of Our Love ...

So today is our anniversary. Seven years ago today we said our vows to spend the rest of our lives together. It was honestly the best day of my life! I don't think I can ever feel that much love and joy on the same day again. I thought it would be fun on this special day to take you back to how we met and fell in love. Yes, it's nice for you all to read this but mainly I want to do this for our children someday to see how much their parents loved one another.

I'm really going to have to stretch my memory and hope I can capture the highlights. It was the fall after graduating from college. My best friend was working for a marketing company and she shared with me about an awesome opportunity .. they are sending 2 guys and 2 girls to travel around the USA setting up promotional tents at all the PGA and Senior PGA tournaments and the job would be signing people up for PGA Tour MasterCards. I said quickly I wanted to do it! Within three months I had sold all my stuff, packed my bags and we were off. Do you remember the show called road rules on MTV?.. it was just like it. We had a Tahoe pulling a big trailer, two BFF girls, two boys, crazy fun cities and yes all the drama you can imagine. The first state was Florida for almost 2 months, then we actually got to fly out to Valencia California (our only flight of the year)

I had never been to California..we flew into LA where we had a mutual friend that lived there. My friend (Chad) wanted to introduce me to a friend of his (Scott) that traveled to the senior tournaments doing television. Our first night meeting was at Outback Steakhouse. I will never forget what I had on..it's funny the details you remember, you don't want me to describe it... I would be embarrassed because what was cool then is not today. I also remember how we were sitting at the table. My first impression was this guy is cute, so nice, a little quiet, a funny sense of humor and oh yes his beautiful blue blue eyes. We met on Wednesday night March 7, 2001 and we (the traveling group) all hung out with each other just about every night until we left on Monday. Throughout that time feelings were starting to blossom even though I didn't want a relationship... something was fluttering my heart about this kid. We exchanged phone numbers and knew we would see each other soon in a couple of weeks at The Players Championship in Jacksonville, Fl. (where Scott lived) On the Sunday night of the event we were driving and my cell started ringing and it's him. My heart sinks.. why i think? ..my traveling buddies could tell something was up .. I talked to him and he figures out plans to meet up with us. Inside I was excited to see him but didn't want anyone to know at this point. We had a fun night out in Jacksonville Beach, and things starting clicking. The sad part though was that our team had to drive up to Atlanta the next day in order to set up for the next tournament (Atlanta is also where my family lives). Scott came up with an idea that the boys could go ahead and he would drive my friend and I back to Atlanta the following day. Wow I thought, he really wanted us to stay! Me and my girlfriend decided to stay.. it was so fun and I think it was starting to look like he liked me ... a lot, enough to drive me back to Atlanta 5 hours away... crazy boy. But it was worth it, we did have a fun time and at the end of the night we were talking outside the hotel for hours and hours keeping my girlfriends awake.... at one point one of them yelled "will you guys just kiss already!".. I was so embarrassed .. we didn't think of each other like that or did we? We were up until 5 am laughing and sharing story after story... there was an endless amount of stuff to talk about! I think I could have talked to him for days. He drove us back to Atlanta the next day where he met my family, spend the night in a guest room, and headed out the next morning to get back to work. He was crazy but I liked it:) I didn't want a boyfriend but my heart was changing for this guy. We didn't see each other for a while but we talked on the phone ... a lot!

Our next time seeing each other was in Hilton Head, SC. Things were different between us... our relationship was stronger, but I still didn't want a serious relationship right now I kept telling myself. I kept pushing the feelings away and trying to talk myself out of liking him. I had thought this was my year to enjoy traveling without commitments that tie me down. The 1st night we arrived we hung out at a restaurant called Wild Wing Cafe. There was a big group of us at dinner and a band that played that night until late. I needed to walk back to the hotel and he wanted to walk me back to make sure I was ok. At this point I had convinced myself I needed to tell him .. I just didn't want a relationship. We arrived at the door of my hotel room and I was trying to explain my feelings to him but was really not making any sense... .. I was in mid sentence when all of a sudden he kissed me ... "What?" I thought? Then he kissed me again and I was hooked, I couldn't deny the feelings anymore.. it was like fireworks were going off .. I LIKED THIS BOY A LOT!

The next day we went on our first date, we sat on a bench overlooking the lighthouse in the marina eating peel and eat shrimp together. Our conversations flowed like a river.. we were so giddy and yes every time I was around him I felt like I had a 8th grade crush and couldn't stop smiling.

Our dates over the next couple of months were really cool for a couple just starting to date. Who else gets to go on dates in Nashville, Birmingham, Boston, Cape Cod, NY city, Chicago, Minneapolis, Grand Rapids, Park City UT, San Antonio.. just to name a few .. let's just say after the year of traveling our relationship had developed into something we knew we couldn't live without. We knew we wanted to spend the rest of our lives together. It was an adventure that we will cherish for the rest of our lives. Love happened to me when I least expected it, I'm just so thankful Scott didn't listen to me that night and trusted his instincts to lean in and kiss me..it was the 1st step of many ways to keep pursuing me.

Scott is one awesome man and I feel so blessed to have him as my husband!

I thank you so much for sticking by my side all these years through all the ups and downs. I cherish our relationship above all others here on this earth. I love you Scott with all my heart..looking forward to the many many years ahead .. until death do us part.

If God lined up all the men in the world, every single one of them (including George Clooney and Brad Pitt) I would still pick you every time!